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Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Estero, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and Pine Island Information

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Cape Coral, Florida

Cape Coral and Fort Myers from space, July 1997

Cape Coral and Fort Myers from space, July 1997
Official logo of Cape Coral, Florida
City Logo
Location in Lee County and the state of Florida
Location in Lee County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 26°38′23″N 81°58′57″W / 26.63972, -81.9825
Country Flag of the United States United States
State Flag of Florida Florida
County  Lee
Founded 1965
Incorporated 1970
Government
 - Type Council-Manager
 - Mayor Eric Feichthaler
 - District 1 Thomas Hair
 - District 2 Richard L. Stevens
 - District 3 Alan J. Boyd Jr.
 - District 4 Dolores Bertolini
Area [1]
 - City 115.10 sq mi (298.1 km²)
 - Land 105.19 sq mi (272.4 km²)
 - Water 9.91 sq mi (25.7 km²)  8.61%
Elevation ft (2 m)
Population (1 July 2006)
 - City 151,389
 - Metro 571,344
  Census Bureau estimate
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 33900-33999
Area code(s) 239
FIPS code 12-10275GR2
GNIS feature ID 0279997GR3
Website: www.capecoral.net

Cape Coral is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 102,286 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2006, the city had a population of 151,389, making it the largest city in Southwest Florida. As of July 1, 2006, the population estimate for the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area was 571,344.

 

Geography

Cape Coral is located at 26°38′23″N, 81°58′57″W (26.639600, -81.982471).GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 115.10 square miles (298.1 km²), making it the second largest in Florida. 105.19 square miles (272.4 km²) of it is land and 9.91 square miles (25.7 km²) of it (8.61%) is water.

The City is divided into Four Quadrants: NW, NE, SW and SE. The East-West Divide is Santa Barbara Blvd., and the North-South divide is Embers Pkwy/Hancock Bridge Pkwy. These are also the centers for the city's street grid.

The City contains a large network of canals, some of which lead to the Gulf of Mexico and some to local lakes. Many houses are along the canals, a large number of which have docks or boat lifts. Fish regularly swim the canals, and can be caught with deep running minnow lures. The fish include Crevalle Jack, catfish, Mullet, and others.

The Cape Coral Bridge connects Cape Coral Parkway to College Parkway in Fort Myers. The Midpoint Memorial Bridge connects Veterans Parkway to Colonial Boulevard, also in Fort Myers. Hancock Bridge Parkway, after intersecting Santa Barbara Boulevard, sweeps north to its approximate terminus on Pine Island Road, with the east end of Hancock Bridge Parkway terminating at U.S. Highway 41.

 History

Over the course of a few years, beginning in 1958, canals were dug, homes and businesses built, and a city was born. Celebrities were brought in to tout the benefits of “the Cape," as it’s known by the locals. The first building was a four-plex at the corner of Coronado and Cape Coral Parkway. This building was the Rosen's company headquarters and the temporary home of Cape Coral's first permanent resident, Kenny Schwartz, the Rosens' new general manager. Cape Coral's first four homes were completed in May 1958 on Riverside and Flamingo drives.

Through the rest of the 1950s and early 1960s, development moved quickly, mostly on Redfish Point, south of Cape Coral Parkway. By 1963, the population was 2,850; 1,300 buildings had been finished or were under construction; 80 miles of road had been built, and 160 miles of canals had been dug. The yacht club, a golf course, medical clinic, and shopping center were up and running. A major addition for Cape Coral was the construction of the Cape Coral Bridge, which opened in early 1964. Before the bridge, a trip to Fort Myers was more than 20 miles, following the long haul up Del Prado, then over to the Edison Bridge to cross the river.

Since its inception Cape Coral had been known as a "sleepy" community with its large retirement population. This all changed with the population boom of the 1990's that brought with it young working class families. There is still a larger than normal retirement population. While some of the community still has to cross the river to Fort Myers for work and entertainment, this has become less of a requirement with new stores, restaurants and nightclubs opening up every year. Today, Cape Coral offers a lively strip of restaurants and stores along Cape Coral Parkway, Del Prado Blvd. and Pine Island Road. Also, there is an array of activities within the city including Sun Splash Family Waterpark, Mike Greenwell’s Family Fun Park and the brand new, 27,000-sq.-ft. Eagle Skate Park.

Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1970 11,470
1980 32,103 179.9%
1990 74,991 133.6%
2000 102,286 36.4%
Est. 2006 151,389 48.0%

City Events

  • The city holds an annual Independence Day fireworks festival known as Red, White & BOOM!! This is the biggest single day event in the city and also the biggest July 4 display in Southwest Florida.
  • Every October the local German-American Club holds the annual Oktoberfest styled after the original held in Germany. This has been the case since 1985

    Education

Three public high schools in Cape Coral are operated by the Lee County School District: Cape Coral High School, built in the late 1970's Mariner High School, which opened in 1987, and Ida S. Baker High School, founded in 2004 and named after one of the early principals of Cape Coral High School, with the building opening in 2005. A new high school, Island Coast High School, is scheduled to open its doors for the 2008-2009 school year.

Fort Myers, Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers
Fort Myers
Nickname: City of Palms
Location in Lee County and the state of Florida
Location in Lee County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 26¡Æ37¡Ç54¡ÈN 81¡Æ51¡Ç26¡ÈW / 26.63167, -81.85722
Country Flag of the United States United States
State Flag of Florida Florida
County  Lee
Founded March 24, 1886
Government
 - Mayor Jim Humphrey
Area
 - City 40.4 sq mi (104.7 km©÷)
 - Land 31.8 sq mi (82.4 km©÷)
 - Water 8.6 sq mi (82.4 km©÷)  21.25%
Elevation 10 ft (3 m)
Population (2006)
 - City 60,531
 - Density 1,514.6/sq mi (505.3/km©÷)
 - Metro 544,758
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 33900-33999
Area code(s) 239
FIPS code 12-24125GR2
GNIS feature ID 0282700GR3
Website: http://www.cityftmyers.com

Fort Myers is the county seatGR6 and commercial center of Lee County, Florida. The population was 48,208 at the 2000 census. According to the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau's Estimates, the city had a population of 60,531.

The city is one of two major cities that make up the Cape Coral-Fort Myers MSA, the other being Cape Coral. As of July 1, 2006, the population estimate for the metropolitan area was 571,344.

Established in 1886, Fort Myers is the historical and governmental hub of Lee County. It is the gateway to the Southwest Florida region, which is a major tourist destination in Florida. The winter homes of Thomas Edison (Seminole Lodge) and Henry Ford (The Mangoes), which are both primary tourist attractions in the region, are located on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers.

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) is located southeast of the city in South Fort Myers, near Gateway and Lehigh Acres.

History

Incorporated in 1886, Fort Myers is the center of a popular tourist area in Southwest Florida and the seat of Lee County. It is located about 120 miles south of Tampa at the meeting point of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caloosahatchee River. Fort Myers was the frequent winter home of Thomas Edison and is the current home of the Boston Red Sox spring training camp.

Typical architecture in downtown Fort Myers
Typical architecture in downtown Fort Myers

Fort Myers, built in 1850 as a military fort to fend off Seminole Indians that were massacring the area's few settlers, was named after Col. Abraham C. Myers, who was stationed in Florida for seven years and was the son-in-law of the fort's establisher and commander. In 1858, after years of elusive battle, Chief Billy Bowlegs and his warriors were persuaded to surrender and move west, and the fort was abandoned. Billy's Creek, which flows into the Caloosahatchee River and runs between The Beau Rivage Condominiums and Alta Mar, was named after a temporary camp where Billy Bowlegs and his men awaited ships to take them west.

The fort was abandoned until 1863 when a small number of Federal troops re-occupied the fort during the Civil War. In 1865 the fort was attacked unsuccessfully by a very small group of Confederates. After the war, the fort was again deserted.

The first settlers arrived in 1866, but it wasn't until 1882 when the city experienced a significant influx of settlers. By 1885, when Fort Myers was incorporated, it was the second largest city only to Tampa on Florida's west coast south of Cedar Key even larger than Clearwater and Sarasota, also growing cities at the time.

Fort Myers first became a nationally known winter resort with the building of The Royal Palm Hotel in 1898. But what really sparked the city's growth was the construction of the Tamiami Trail Bridge built across the Caloosahatchee River in 1924. After the bridge's construction, the city experienced its first real estate boom and many subdivisions sprouted around the city.

  Interesting facts

  • Fort Myers is still considered by local residents to be the "main" city of Southwest Florida, even though Cape Coral now has more than three times as many people. Thus Cape Coral is thought of as a suburb of Fort Myers, much in the way the larger Virginia Beach is thought of as a suburb of Norfolk even though Norfolk is now smaller in population. The reason for this is that the area's central business district is in the smaller, more densely populated Fort Myers, where as Cape Coral is almost entirely suburban homes, but in a very large land area.
  • The first known resident of Fort Myers was Manuel Gonzalez, a Spaniard from the province of Asturias, who had come by way of Cuba and settled there in the 19th century.
  • The abandoned city scene from Day of the Dead was filmed in downtown Fort Myers.
  • Local private school Canterbury was listed in Forbes's "Top 400 Schools to Get Your Kid into Harvard". Canterbury students have also won the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Grand Award five times in the past 20 years.

Higher learning

Geography and climate

Fort Myers and Cape Coral from space, July 1997.
Fort Myers and Cape Coral from space, July 1997.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.4 mi©÷ (104.7 km©÷). 31.8 mi©÷(82.4 km©÷) of it is land and 8.6 mi©÷ (22.2 km©÷) of it (21.25%) is water.

Climate in Fort Myers
Monthly averages Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Norm high ¡ÆF (¡ÆC) 75 (24) 77 (25) 80 (27) 85 (29) 89 (32) 91 (33) 92 (33) 92 (33) 90 (32) 86 (30) 81 (27) 77 (25) 85 (29)
Norm low ¡ÆF (¡ÆC) 54 (13) 55 (13) 59 (15) 63 (17) 68 (20) 73 (23) 74 (23) 74 (23) 74 (23) 69 (21) 62 (17) 56 (13) 65 (18)
Precip. in. (cm) 2.2 (5.7) 2.1 (5.3) 2.7 (7.0) 1.7 (4.3) 3.4 (8.7) 9.8 (24.8) 9.0 (22.8) 9.5 (24.2) 7.9 (20.0) 2.6 (6.6) 1.7 (4.3) 1.6 (4.0) 54.2 (137.6)
Avg. no. precip. days 7 8 7 6 10 18 22 22 20 11 7 7 145

 

Fort Myers has experienced steady growth.
Fort Myers has experienced steady growth.

 Points of interest

Boston Red Sox train in the area.  This facility is adorned with their logo.
Boston Red Sox train in the area. This facility is adorned with their logo.
  • For the golfing enthusiast, the Fort Myers Area (Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Estero, Lehigh Acres, Sanibel Island and Venice) is home to over 50 of Southwest Florida's renowned 130 public and private golf courses. Florida's great weather combined with the scenic and challenging nature of these courses makes the area an excellent stop for the vacationing golfer.

 

 External links

 

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